🎯 The Short Answer: Start with your research purpose and research question(s) - then check your university handbook for required sections, and tackle remaining sections in the order you feel most confident writing them. Chapter one is often the most overwhelming...
🎯 The Short Answer: Use AI tools to speed up your research workflow, not to generate your dissertation/thesis text. Choose specialized AI research tools like Consensus, Elicit, or Research Rabbit instead of broad generative AI. Always verify your university's policies...
🎯 The Short Answer: Perfectionism delays dissertations because it makes you endlessly refine drafts instead of moving forward. The antidote? Accept that your dissertation won't be perfect, separate drafting from finalizing, and remember that a finished dissertation...
🎯 The Short Answer: The best way to structure your literature review is typically either thematically, chronologically or methodologically. Choose the structure that best fits your research topic, use a clear note-taking system, and stay flexible as you refine your...
🎯 The Short Answer: To improve flow in your literature review, think of it as telling a story. Plan your structure before you write, move from broad to specific, and use clear linking sentences to connect paragraphs. Most importantly, always organise your content in a...
🎯 The Short Answer: In your literature review synthesis, use clear compare and contrast language to connect studies, show agreements and disagreements, and explain why those differences exist. The goal is not to summarise each study, but to weave them together into a...
🎯 The Short Answer: Use AI research tools to support your research process, not to create your final written work. Let AI help you find, organise, and think through information, but keep the actual writing and critical thinking your own. If you're working on a...
The Smart Way To Write A DissertationFrom MIT lecturers to project management experts: Here's what works 🎓By: Derek Jansen | Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | Published: 21 November 2025TL;DR – The Quick Guide 📌 Stop confusing activity with progress: Identify your...
🎙️ Unspoken Laws Of Academic SuccessThree Simple But Effective Practices You Need To KnowBy: Derek Jansen (MBA) and Ethar Al-Saraf (PhD) | Updated March 2025n this episode of the Grad Coach Podcast, Derek and Ethar delve into the unwritten laws of...
🎙️ The 4 HABITS of Successful Students(And how to develop them...)By: Derek Jansen (MBA) and Ethar Al-Saraf (PhD) | Updated March 2025t Grad Coach, we've worked with thousands of students. Over the years, we've noticed a few simple but powerful...
The "Big 3" Dissertation StrugglesWhat They Are + How To Deal With Them 📝By: Derek Jansen (MBA) and Ethar Al-Saraf (PhD) | Updated March 2025riting a dissertation or thesis is no small task - just ask any ABD. The academic research journey is one...
How To Write A Research PaperStep-By-Step Tutorial With Examples + FREE TemplateBy: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | March 2024or many students, crafting a strong research paper from scratch can feel like a daunting task...
How To Reference In Microsoft WordStep-By-Step Video Tutorial With ExamplesBy: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | March 2024n this video tutorial, you'll learn how to use Microsoft Word's referencing function for in-text...
How To Format MLA 9th EditionA Simple, Step-by-Step Guide + Free TemplateBy: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewer: Eunice Rautenbach (DTech) | July 2023ormatting your paper in MLA style can feel like a pretty daunting task. In this post, we'll show you...
How To Format APA 7th EditionA Simple, Step-by-Step Guide + Free TemplateBy: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewer: Eunice Rautenbach (DTech) | June 2023ormatting your paper in APA 7th edition can feel like a pretty daunting task, and understandably so. In...
What Are Logos, Pathos & Ethos?A Plain-Language Explainer - With Practical ExamplesBy: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewer: Eunice Rautenbach (DTech) | June 2023f you spend any amount of time exploring the wonderful world of philosophy, you’re bound to...
Research Bias: The Hidden MonsterThe "Big 3" Biases You Need To Know AboutBy: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | September 2022f you're new to academic research, research bias (also sometimes called researcher bias) is...
How To Reduce Your Word CountCutting The Fluff - Without Losing Precious MarksBy: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewers: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | December 2017f you follow some of the advice on this blog, chances are one of your biggest challenges is...
Presenting Your Data AnalysisHow To Choose The Right Chart For The Job 📊By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr. Eunice Rautenbach (DTech) | Updated March 2025nce you've done the fieldwork and number crunching, you'll need to present your...
What Is Academic Misconduct?A Plain-Language Explainer - With ExamplesBy: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr. Eunice Rautenbach | January 2025xhaustion can make you do crazy things. No one can deny that completing a degree can be a stress-...
Critical Writing In AcademiaDescriptive vs Analytical vs Critical Writing - Explained Simply 📑By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr. Eunice Rautenbach (DTech) | Updated August 2025TL;DR - Descriptive vs Critical Writing One of the challenges in academic writing...